Reading and writing. Reading and writing. Reading and writing. The notorious buzz words of preschool and early elementary education!
We start to hear about it in preschool and we most definitely hear about it in elementary school. Before you know it, we will have papers sent home on statistics about reading or weekly letters from the teachers about how they want their students to take a few minutes each day and just read. Anything...books, magazines, newspapers, comics. Just read! Teacher's cannot stress enough the benefits of exercising the brain through books. In fact, many school districts are starting to eliminate homework at the elementary level and alternatively ask that students read for 20 minutes each day. Yes...it is that important!
Same goes for our littlest readers. Our Preschoolers. If your child isn't yet able to read to themselves, the impact is just as great by reading to or with them! Take a look below...
While school provides an incredible source of supplemental reading, our children are spending most of their time at home which means that we have an enormous window of opportunity to influence their minds and teach them to read through word recognition and repetition. Children also learn by visualization. Pictures translate into words. Pictures are worth a thousand words, right?
Reading also greatly impacts a child's ability to understand and practice emotions. Empathy. Reading helps to develop lifelong skills for carrying on in the real world. Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
It's no secret that there are things us parents can give our children that the classroom cannot. Fill your story times with a variety of books. Be consistent, be patient, and watch the magic unfold.
There are so many ways in which reading positively affects our children during the young years and beyond. The list is endless. For preschoolers, developing pre-reading skills like turning the page from right to left and reading the words from left to right will help them to become better readers later on. The task at hand may seem redundant, but the repetitiveness and your patience as a parent will pay off.
Reading truly helps to develop and expand our children's vocabulary more than we can offer. Think about the way we talk to each other at home. We may not realize, but we oftentimes use the same words and phrases over and over again and develop a family lingo if you will. Books are an on-demand hand held encyclopedia that offer a wealth of knowledge just by reading other words.
Think reading stops when your children can read by themselves? Think again! By reading stories that are on their interest level, but beyond their reading level, you can stretch young readers' understanding and motivate them to improve their skills.
When all is said and done, reading with your child every day sends an important message...that reading is worthwhile. Reading is more than just a practical tool. Frequenting the library or bookshelf at home can be a relaxing, leisurely experience and expand our minds. And as we know, reading will give our children a one up in terms of success at school.
Standardized tests...a controversial subject. Most of us wish they would just go away. Nobody likes them but everyone has to take them. Currently, it's the measure used to get our children into most colleges. There are a number of students who struggle with these tests for a variety of reasons. Think about the pressure we place on ourselves and children leading up to taking these tests. We place focus on memorization, studying for hours on end and even spend money on prep classes and test booklets for standardized testing when in reality, reading is the key to success. See below the success rate of children who read 20 minutes each day on standardized testing.
Wow.
Together we can develop a child's thirst for knowledge, enhance their concentration, develop their imagination and creativity and create a bond.
What's more? We can show them another avenue of entertainment. Nowadays Ipads, TV's and tablets feel like a sole form of interest. Don't let them distract us from good old fashioned fun.
There is nothing better than seeing a child who loves to learn. So, together let's inspire.
"You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book!" - Dr. Seuss
Read on.
